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Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love. -from St. Therese of the Little Flower October 13, 2017 Dear Parents, It s great being in a Catholic school where every moment provides an opportunity to bridge to faith. One looks at the date on this Brown Envelope and the mind goes to the 100 th Anniversary of the great Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, Portugal. Each of our Catholic schools has a charism, that place where we reflect on that point of intercession. Here at Our Lady s School, that charism, of course, is Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Last week I had the honor of chairing a state accreditation team at Little Flower Catholic School in San Antonio, Texas. The charism of this school is obvious, but the amazing bridge of faith for this little school is that it s attached to the National Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux. October is a major month in our Catholic faith. It is the month of the Holy Rosary. It also represents two major dates for St. Therese; October 1 is her feast day, and October 17 was when St. Therese was proclaimed one of the very few female Doctors of the Church. One of the highlights of the accreditation visit was a tour of the shrine (where the aroma of roses was absolutely captivating!) and meeting some of the Carmelite Friars and Holy Spirit Sisters who told the story of their predecessors who made the shrine and school possible with their hard work back in the early 1920s. As it was explained by Father Luis, in spite of the Great Depression, people sent in their pennies and dollars so that the Shrine could become a reality. What is the message of St. Therese to the 21 st century Catholic in this world gone mad? Her message may be the most powerful one of all the best way to work toward holiness and be a saint is to follow St. Therese s Little Way by doing ordinary things with extraordinary love... being a spiritual missionary, praying always for others, particularly those who do not know God. Our Lady s School is already in preparation mode for the accreditation visit set for the 2018-2019 school year. We hope you all will join us in taking a good look at our school so that we can make sure we are truly Catholic and truly developing the whole child to become a disciple of Christ so that they can make a difference and BE one of those catalysts to change our world for the better. We can learn many things from the words of St. Therese: https://www.littleflower.org/therese/words-of-st-therese/ If you are ever in San Antonio, the National Shrine of the Little Flower is definitely worth being a part of your itinerary. In the meantime, we can all consciously seek diversion from social media, the media inundation of darkness, and the NOISE of this present world by seeking the POWER OF SILENCE and the POWER of St. Therese s LITTLE WAY. St. Therese can be a powerful ally in this crusade as her continued promise to send roses from heaven to intercede for us here on earth is alive and well. May we call upon our saints and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as we seek the LIGHT of our world. In Him, Elaine Schad, ICCS Principal

ICCS Theme of the Year: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. John 14:26 Virtue of the Month for October: COURAGE!! I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 Dean s Dispatch It s O.K. to Say No to Your Child!!! Research shows that fewer parents are using the word no with their children. There are many reasons for this trend including guilt of working parents, their own childhood experiences, and the desire to be a friend to their child. According to an article written by David Walsh in Scholastic Parent and Child, current culture, media, and advertising have combined to teach us four values: more, easy, fast, and fun. This makes the job of parenting ever more difficult. The truth is that children want their parents to say no! Dr. Joan Munson states, When kids are misbehaving, they are looking to you to say, Stop me from doing this! Tell me how to behave correctly! Keep me safe. They look to us for parameters that give them a sense of security. We need to be a parent, authority figure, not a friend to our children. Many parents try to reason, bargain, and bribe their children rather than just say no in fear of hurting their child s self-esteem. Children need to develop skills to deal with disappointment. David Walsh continues, (saying no) helps them build a sense of resourcefulness and determination. That s where disappointment can actually build selfesteem. If we shield our kids too much, they never get practice at dealing with disappointment. But when children are allowed to work through those disappointments, they might realize, this won t work, but I ll try something else. They build the sense that there are no dead ends, just solutions they haven t found yet. They also learn determination and patience. If we jump in and rescue our kids, it actually eats away at their selfesteem. The patience, determination, and problem solving skills certainly aid in academic success. From a Catholic perspective, we teach our children that the virtues of patience, respect, kindness, and understanding lead us to servant leadership. Christ is the ultimate servant leader, and we should all strive to be more Christ like. We all want our children to be happy and successful. It is natural to not want to see your child upset or disappointed; however, we also need to teach them coping skills and assist them into developing strategies for life. We want our children to become determined, empathetic, loving, Catholic adults, serving Christ and others. So, remember, it s O.K. to say no! God bless you on the difficult, but best, job you will ever have. parenthood! Blessings, Paul Cuttica, Dean of Students

Hola!! Cecy Miranda, Alumni Hispanic Services **Cecy sends her love to all of you from her new home in Georgia** Crees porque me has visto. Felices los que no han visto, pero creen! Juan 20:29 Alguna vez has platicado con tus hijos acerca de los milagros? Jesús podía hacer milagros porque tenía el poder de Dios, y todo es posible para Dios. Cuando Jesús vino, El realizó muchos milagros para mostrar el amor de Dios. Al verlo muchos creyeron y le siguieron. La Biblia está llena de historias de los milagros de Dios, pero que pasa con los milagros cotidianos que suceden en nuestras vidas? Yo creo que Dios hace milagros todos los días, pero no nos damos cuenta; el milagro de la vida, el milagro del amor, del perdón, de la amistad. La vida sigue y la lista de milagros no acaba. Este año el 13 de octubre se cumplen 100 años del Milagro del Sol de la Virgen de Fátima. Alguna vez has leído acerca de la Virgen de Fátima? Esta es una oportunidad perfecta para que te sientes con tus pequeños y platiquen acerca de los milagros. Que no te sorprenda si tus hijos te preguntan si los milagros todavía suceden en estos días. Recuérdales a tus hijos que el Espíritu Santo obra milagrosamente en nuestros corazones para motivarnos a elegir el bien, elegir amar. Stanley Rother, es el primer Beato Mártir de EEUU. El pasado 23 de septiembre de este año fue beatificado. Te comparto esta página web para que leas un poco y les cuentes a tus niños como en el presente Dios nos regala MILAGROS! http://www.es.catholic.net/op/articulos/63899/el-p-stanley-francis-rother-sera-beatificadohoy Viviendo simplemente para Dios, podemos ser sus "pequeños milagros". Dios los bendiga hoy y siempre! Cecy Miranda THANK YOU!! To Father Tim for blessing the animals. Thank you to all of our clergy for their ministry to our school families.

THANK YOU!!!! We are extremely grateful to everyone who participated in North Texas Giving Day!! More than $19,600 was raised for technology upgrades and for financial assistance. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY! THE ICCS HOLYWEEN CARNIVAL IS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 st FROM 12-4 P.M. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! PLEASE SEE THE SIGN UP SHEETS POSTED ACROSS FROM THE SCHOOL OFFICE. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22!! KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BREAKFAST!! 8 A.M. TO 11 A.M. ICCS GYM DONATIONS TO BENEFIT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC SCHOOL We Salute All Area Knights!! MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! **CHOCOLATE SALES CONTINUE THROUGH OCTOBER 27**

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, OCT. 19 and OCT. 20: NOON DISMISSAL (Extended Care until 6 p.m.) MANDATORY PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES DURING THE AFTERNOON ON BOTH DAYS. PLEASE GET WITH YOUR TEACHERS TO SIGN UP FOR A CONFERENCE TIME. NOTE: IF YOUR CHILD WILL BE STAYING IN EXTENDED DAY, PLEASE SEND A SACK LUNCH, WATER BOTTLE AND SNACK. --WEDNESDAY-NOVEMBER 1: FEAST OF ALL SAINTS!! -- Our first graders will dress up as their favorite saint and will walk in procession before the Mass. HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION--DRESS UNIFORMS!!! MASS AT 8:15 A.M. JOIN US!! --Nov. 1: NOON DISMISSAL.EXTENDED CARE AVAILABLE UNTIL 6 P.M. THE ICCS SPIRIT SHOP IS OPEN ON SCHOOL DAYS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 7:45 TO 8:15 A.M. --See the hot lunch, pizza, and chicken strip forms in this month s Brown Envelope. IMPORTANT: BE SURE TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL DEADLINES AS WE CAN ACCEPT NO LATE FORMS. PLEASE PAY EXACT AMOUNTS. THE OFFICE DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE CHANGE. --COME JOIN US EACH THURSDAY AT 8:15 A.M. FOR OUR SCHOOL MASS!!! ****HELP US HELP OUR COMMUNITY FOOD BANKS**** As part of our schoolwide service, every FOURTH THURSDAY OF THE MONTH is a time when the children are asked to bring nonperishable food and toiletry items so we can help the community food banks and soup kitchens which are always in need. If you can, please send an item with your child Thursday, Oct. 26. Thanks for caring.***

*******HANDBOOK REMINDERS********* **Inclement Weather: Log on: school website or view local television channels **Be sure all textbooks are covered. **Shorts and culottes may not be worn from November 1 through March 1. Uniform sweaters are required for Mass November 1 through March 1. *****************REMINDER****************** Report Cards will be held for unpaid balances** No parking in the fire lanes at any time** ***REMINDER ABOUT EMAIL*** A LOT OF CORRESPONDENCE GOES OUT OVER EMAIL THAT IS NOT SENT HARD COPY. BE SURE THE OFFICE HAS YOUR EMAIL AND THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING EMAILS FROM THE SCHOOL! **REMINDER** LOG FOR ONE-HALF OF REQUIRED VOLUNTEER HOURS IS DUE TO THE OFFICE BY THE END OF DECEMBER Earn volunteer hours buying Gift Cards. For every $100 worth of gift cards you buy, you earn 1 volunteer hour is credited towards your total of 35 volunteer hours. Credit is accumulated; you need not buy $100 each time. Statements of credit earned will be available in the school office at the end of each semester for review, and reported to the volunteer hour coordinator. *VETERAN S DAY PROGRAM IS COMING!!* DO YOU HAVE VETERANS MEMORABILIA OR KNOW ANY VETERANS? **We d love for you to share your memories with our school community during our annual Veterans Program at Thursday, Nov. 9 in the ICCS gym following the 8:15 a.m. Mass. Please call the school office at 940-381-1155 if you have memorabilia to display or if you have a veteran you wish for us to invite! Come join us as we salute all of our veterans! THE NORTH TEXAS INDEPENDENT LEAGUE (NTIL)

ACADEMIC MEET IS COMING!!! We are excited to begin another wonderful year of academic events at Immaculate Conception Catholic School!! These events provide great enrichment opportunities for our students plus the opportunity for our families to meet students and families from other schools. Our first meet will be the NTIL Academic meet on Thursday, November 30, at Sacred Heart Elementary and High School in Muenster. More information will be forthcoming. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Private School Interscholastic Association (PSIA) Spring Meet Date will be FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018, here at ICCS. (THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL THAT DAY) Need Safe Environment? Take it Online!! Please contact Terry Scaggs to sign up at 940-565-1770, ext. 219 or send an email to safeenvironment@iccdenton.org ****WE CONTINUE TO BE IN NEED OF EMPTY PRINTER CARTRIDGES SO WE CAN RECYCLE THEM FOR NEEDED OFFICE AND CLASSROOM SUPPLIES. PLEASE BRING THEM BY THE SCHOOL OR LEAVE THEM AT EITHER PARISH OFFICE. THANK YOU!!!**** THANKSGIVING FEAST TUESDAY, NOV. 21 Our school community will enjoy a Turkey lunch during the regular lunch run 10:45 to 12:30 p.m. so we can have some great family fellowship as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday! Order forms will be sent home the first week of November. PLEASE NOTE: CHICKEN STRIPS WILL NOT BE SERVED ON THIS DAY. IF YOU DO NOT ORDER THANKSGIVING LUNCH, YOU WILL NEED TO BRING A SACK LUNCH.

HAWAIIAN KNIGHTS! SAVE THE DATE OUR ANNUAL AUCTION IS SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2018, IN THE ICCS GYM!! IT S NEVER TOO SOON TO BEGIN GATHERING THOSE DONATIONS!!! REMINDER: IF YOU ELECTED TO PAY THE $150 OPT-OUT FEE INSTEAD OF DONATING ITEMS, PAYMENT IS DUE BY OCTOBER 27 TH. IMPORTANT DATES: --Oct. 16: --Oct. 17: School --Oct. 19: --Oct. 20: Lady Knights Volleyball at St. Mary s 5 p.m. 8 th Grade to Ft. Worth to participate in Shadow Day at Nolan Catholic High Noon Dismissal Extended Care until 6 p.m..parent-teacher Conferences Noon Dismissal Extended Care until 6 p.m Parent-Teacher Conferences --Saturday, Oct. 21: Holyween Carnival!!! --Sunday, Oct. 22: Knights of Columbus Breakfast 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the gym. --OCT. 23: --OCT. 25: Lady Knights Volleyball at Home versus Denton Calvary games begin at 5 p.m. PEP RALLY AT 1:30 P.M. IN THE GYM!!! (includes summer IXL awards!) -Oct. 26:Monthly Food Drive for the Poor Mass-Dress Uniform --Oct. 28: NTIL Volleyball Tournament at Denton Calvary Brackets to be announced OCTOBER 31: GLAMOURCRAFT INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS.DRESS UNIFORMS WITH SWEATERS REQUIRED!!!

--Nov. 1: All Saints Day! First Graders Dress as Saints.. NOON DISMISSAL.EXTENDED CARE AVAILABLE UNTIL 6 P.M. --Nov. 2: Eighth Grade Immigrant Simulation Catholic Charities Decatur --Nov. 3: Brown Envelope Goes Home --Nov. 7: T-Shirt Tuesday for those who purchased --Nov. 8: Home and School Association Executive Board Meeting 8 a.m. Library --Nov. 8: ICCS Advisory Council Meeting 7 p.m. in the Library --Nov. 9: Veterans Program.Mass at 8:15 a.m. followed by the program in the gym --Nov. 10: St. Jude Trike-a-thon!! --Nov. 21: Thanksgiving Feast!! (order forms will be sent home in early November) IMPORTANT REMINDERS: If you are still not receiving the school s weekly email, be sure to call the office and give us an updated email. Office 940-381-1155 x 0 -or- iccsoffice@gmail.com Please call or email the school office by 9:00 a.m. if your child is going to be absent or arriving late to school. 940-381-1155 x 0 or- iccsoffice@gmail.com Be sure to check the online calendar for all of the latest events on our school website: www.catholicschooldenton.org BLESSINGS FROM OUR LADY S SCHOOL!